Ask any true animation fan and they'll tell that it isn't only for children. Automatically thinking of animated films as "cartoons" or placing them in the family film category is a mistake which we've all made. Even when a movie is marketed at kids, it may not be appropriate for them. Even is this movie has the "Nickelodeon" log on it, it may not be the family fun that one was expecting. I learned this with Rango. In fact, through the first 90 minutes of the movie, I wasn't exactly sure at who it was aimed.

Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) is a lizard who lives in a terrarium and fancies himself to be an actor. While his family is driving through the desert, the car hits a bump and Rango's home flies through the back window, leaving him stranded. Following the advice of an armadillo (voiced by Alfred Molina), Rango wanders into the desert and meets a fellow lizard named Beans (voiced by Isla Fisher). She takes him to the town of Dirt, a depressing place where the parched citizens long for water. After foiling the attack of a predator (and boasting about past accomplishments), Rango is made sheriff. He's then put in charge of a posse which is sent to look for water. Despite the fact that he has no idea what he's doing, Rango leads the group into the desert. Will this lizard be able to find water, or better yet, courage?

I don't go out of my way to do so, but I've seen some weird movies in my times -- movies which fall into many sub-genres. But, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like Rango . If you were to read the screenplay, and it had no mention of the fact that the characters were all animals, you would simply think that this was a live-action western with human characters. The story brings in classic elements from many past films (the actor who pretends to be a hero, the corrupt politician, etc.) and blends them into a script which appears to be a love letter to the western.

While this may sound creative, it simply comes off as weird for much of the movie. From the outset, the movie is full of bizarre images and plot twists which make sense but at still strange. While watching the movie, there were at least three occasions when I said, "I bet this is where people walked out of the theater." The movie has some clever ideas, but it isn't afraid to offer some bizarre things as well. As stated above, the movie had me stumped for most of its running time, but things somehow came together in the end. There's no doubt that the finale is predictable, but it's still satisfying. Much has been made of Johnny Depp leading his voice to the main character, but he sounds like a Western version of Kermit the Frog. Still, Rango does have some funny lines.

There's nothing wrong with movies which don't talk down to children, but at no point does Rango act like a children's movie. Youngsters who don't have trouble following the story may still be freaked out by some of the violence in the movie. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 10. Those who do stick with Rango will find some great animation and a story which is all over the place. Still, Rango has an undeniable charm, and it's too bad that I didn't embrace it until the end.

Rango has a crooked neck which is never explained on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 25 Mbps. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. The animation (done by ILM) is very detailed and this HD transfer really brings that out. The movie is set in a very brown environment, but splashes of color look good and the image is never overly dark or bright. The image has a nice amount of depth and the landscape shots look great. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track delivers clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are very good and do a great job of activities happening on either side of the street in the town. The surround sound effects illustrate what is happening around Rango when he's in the desert and the saloon. The finale produces some nice subwoofer action.

The Rango Blu-ray Disc contains an assortment of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY featuring Director/Story Co-Writer/Producer Gore Verbinski, Head of Story James Ward Byrkit, Production Designer Mark "Crash" McCreery, Animation Director Hal Hickel, and Visual Effects Supervisor Tim Alexander. "Breaking the Rules: Making Animation History" (49 minutes) is a 2-part, very in-depth making of featurette. It begins with a casual meeting to simply discuss ideas for the story and moves into the production phase. The piece takes us inside the house where the pre-production took place and gives us a wealth of footage and concept art. We see how the characters were designed and then we go on-set to see the unique way that the voice recordings were done. The Disc contains ten DELETED SCENES which run about 8 minutes. These are all very brief, but they are fully animated and the extended ending has some laughs. "Real Creatures of Dirt" (22 minutes) is a mini-documentary featuring Donald Schultz which examines the desert environment and the real-life animals who live there, featuring pop-up facts about the creatures. "Storyboard Reel Picture-in-Picture" is available to view while watching the Theatrical Cut. "A Field Trip to Dirt" is an interactive piece which allows us to explore various parts of the town. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.